Fate
by HarpStar
Summary: (Based on FMA, not FMA brotherhood) What happens when Pinako gets sick with the same thing that Trisha had and Edward and Alphonse aren't there to help Winry handle it? Will Winry be able to reach them through the gate? Can Ed and Al ever come home again? Will Edward and Winry be reunited? EDXWIN
1. No pleasant dreams without you

Author's Note: Hey guys, HarpStar here! It's been a while and last time I wrote, it was a Detective Conan fanfic. Sadly, I stopped writing that story because I got a bad writer's block. So I decided to change the way that I do things. I will no publish ANY chapters of a story, unless I have the whole thing written. That being said, if you have kindly decided to read my story, I have good news for you! This story will be finished! :D

One of my biggest pet peeves as a fellow reader on fanfiction, is when people start with a good story and then never update after the first couple chapters. :( I'm going to really try to find some inspiration to continue my other story, but, I honestly don't know if that will ever happen.

ANYWAYS! That's just my rant about people like myself, who get my readers soo excited for a story only to leave them hanging. That WILL NOT happen here!

Disclaimer: I don't own Edward.. Winry does. Just kidding! I DONT OWN FMA!

Song is My Immortal by Evanescence.

One last thing, this story is based on FMA, not FMA Brotherhood. Just saying.

Without Further Adieu~ :D ENJOY!

* * *

_Present Day Risembool_

Winry Rockbell sipped her hot chocolate, letting the delicious liquid warm her from the inside out. It had been a hard 3 years for her since Edward and Alphonse had left. Then again, her whole life had been hard. Her grandmother had taught her never to feel sorry for herself and sometimes that was hard. Especially now with all of her loved ones slipping away from her. Sure she had made some friends in Risembool but, it wasn't the same as having a family.

She had coped well with the loss of Edward and Alphonse, or as well as she could. That was until her grandmother got sick shortly after they left. Her grandmother had developed a sickness that was not uncommon in Risembool. Trisha Elric had died of this sickness. The irony of it was that her parents had come up with a cure before they left to treat soldiers during the Ishvalan War.

Putting her hot chocolate on the table, Winry made her way upstairs to check on her ailing grandmother. As she walked into the room, she noticed that her grandmother was sitting up in bed reading an automail catalog.

"Hey Granny, how are you feeling today?" She asked with in a hushed tone with a small smile on her face.

"This disease is unpredictable. It could take years for my life to be taken." Pinako said this as if it were nothing. She sighed, put the catalog on her bedside table and made her way across the room.

"Granny, you shouldn't move around too much! It could make the disease spread faster and make it worse!" Winry didn't want to lose the last family member she would ever have. She never planned on getting married. She was going to devote the rest of her life to automail, and medicine. After the Elric brothers had left her behind, Winry had become a busy woman.

"Child, listen to me. You need to get some rest yourself." Pinako remarked. Being a wise woman, she knew well that her granddaughter spent majority of her nights studying, rather than sleeping.

"I am an old woman Winry. I have lived many years and if this disease takes my life, I will have no regrets so long as I know that you're happy." Pinako was rarely sentimental, but she didn't know how many days she had left and she wanted her granddaughter to know how much she cared about her well being.

"Of course Granny," Winry said with a sigh and a nod. The last thing she wanted to do was make her grandmother worry about her. She worked hard for both of them so that her grandmother had very little to worry about. Of course her grandmother still worked on automail, but Winry tried to keep from doing that as much as possible by doing as much as the work as she could.

"I made myself some cocoa, do you want me to make you some before I head out for the day?" Winry followed her grandmother down the stairs.

"I can take care of myself." Pinako replied, stubborn as always. "You're starting your shift at the hospital early today?" Because of her parents and her grandmother were surgeons, Winry was able to become a doctor rather quickly. Most of her training was done by her grandmother, but she had done through a training program at the hospital that took 2 years.

"Yes, I told them that I would be starting my shifts earlier from now on so that I can be home earlier." She wanted to home as much as she possibly could so that she could be with her grandmother in case she took a turn for the worse.

She had decided to become internal medicine doctor to understand infectious diseases better. Other doctors in the area had looked at what little notes were left behind from her parents but, none of them could come up with the cure like her parents had. Some of the notes had gone missing, or were taken with her parents when they went to Ishval for whatever reason. Just like her parents, the notes never made it back.

Another thing that happened after Ed and Al left was that Winry had written a song. Music was starting to become a major industry, and artists were starting to pop up all over the place. They made good money from doing it. Now, under normal circumstances, Winry wouldn't care about money but she had written the song for two reasons. The first reason, the reason why she needed the money, was because she needed money to fund her research at the hospital. The second reason, probably a pathetic reason, was because she thought maybe her song would reach Ed and Al.

"Granny, please don't strain yourself too much. I will be back as soon as I can. Call me if anything happens." Winry poured her hot chocolate into a travel mug, grabbed her briefcase full of her research notes and started to make her way out the door. Pinako glared at her as she walked out. She had just told her that she could take care of herself.

Winry got in her car and drove to the local hospital that had been built 4 years ago. She drove past the orphanage that she was having built just down the hill from her house and couldn't help but smile to herself. The orphanage would be ready for business by the end of next week. Although life wasn't going the best in a lot of ways, Winry felt content because she was helping as many people as she could. She recalled the memory of Edward telling her that her hands were not meant to take life, but to give. She felt tears stinging in her eyes but she held them back.

She had to be strong for her grandmother. For the Elrics, even if they would never come home to her again. For the orphans that would have shelter within the next month.

After she pulled into the parking lot at the hospital, Winry wiped the tears from her eyes and got out of the car. She wore black pants with a grey button down shirt, her hair pulled back in a high pony tail. She made her way into the hospital to start her shift.

_Present Day Germany_

_'There's gotta be a way that I can get stations from the other side of the gate. I just want to hear the news from over there.' _Alphonse thought as he fiddled with his radio. All he was getting was static. Edward would probably be angry if he knew that Alphonse was trying to get news from the other side.

"A.. No.." He couldn't make out any of the words that the guy was saying. But he was almost certain that it was the voice of the most popular radio host on the other side of the gate.

"Fshhhhh."All he was getting was static. Alphonse got really frustrated at this point, realizing that he may have been so close to his goal and he had just messed it up. Alphonse did something that was uncharacteristic of him. He threw the radio against the wall.

"Winry Rockbell!" The voice boomed from the radio. Alphonse gasped in surprise and ran over to the radio. It had been 3 years since he had seen Winry. She was like a sister to him. Next to Edward, Winry and Pinako was the only family member he had.

"Hey Ricky!" It was Winry's voice! Without thinking Alphonse ran out of his room and down the stairs.

"E-Ed!" Alphonse practically screamed. Edward ran over to his brother, worried that something might be wrong.

"What's wrong Al?!" Alphonse held the radio up to his brother. Edward looked at it quizzically until he heard _her _voice. The voice that sounded like music to his ears.

"Music has been in my life ever since I was a little girl. When I was younger, my mother tried to make me learn piano before she went to war," There was a slight pause, "I, uhm, I never thought that it was important. I loved automail. Then when she died, I taught myself because whenever I played, I thought of her. She always believed that a person should have diverse skills." Winry's hid her thoughts from the rest of the world, but Edward and Alphonse knew her well. They knew how much broken Winry was over the loss of her parents. Edward felt lie his heart stopped in his chest.

"That's an amazingly tragic story! Miss Rockbell, can I ask what you're doing with your life right now? I mean this song has been so popular since you made it two years ago. Have you considered writing another song?"

"Well, I've thought about it. The reason I haven't is because I just finished earning the title of doctor at a local hospital. It's been a lot of work and it's taken up most of my time to be honest. I've also been busy building an orphanage and trying to find a cure for my grandmother." Edward and Alphonse looked at each other. Granny was sick?

"Wow! I guess I should be calling you Dr. Rockbell then! Winry, you sound like a saint. You truly are one of a kind. Thank you for giving us your time!" Ricky was ever the enthusiastic radio host.

"Of course!" You could almost hear the smile in Winry's soft voice.

"Now, without further adieu! The most requested song on the radio, My Immortal by Winry Rockbell!" The sad music started:

_I'm so tired of being here__  
__Suppressed by all my childish fears__  
__And if you have to leave__  
__I wish that you would just leave__  
__Cause your presence still lingers here_

_And it won't leave me alone_

_These wounds won't seem to heal__  
__This pain is just too real__  
__There's just too much that time cannot erase_

_When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears__  
__When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears__  
__And I held your hand through all of these years__  
__But you still have__  
__All of me_

"Alphonse how could y-" Edward started to scold him for trying to get news from the other side again but Alphonse cut him off.

"Shush brother! I want to hear this!" Alphonse could hear the sorrow in Winry's melodic voice. He never knew that she could sing, but he did remember Edward making fun of her when her mom made her do piano lessons.

_You used to captivate me__  
__By your resonating light__  
__Now I'm bound by the life you left behind__  
__Your face it haunts__  
__My once pleasant dreams__  
__Your voice it chased away__  
__All the sanity in me_

_These wounds won't seem to heal__  
__This pain is just too real__  
__There's just too much that time cannot erase_

_When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears__  
__When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears__  
__And I held your hand through all of these years__  
__But you still have__  
__All of me_

_I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone__  
__But though you're still with me__  
__I've been alone all along_

_When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears__  
__When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears__  
__And I held you hand through all of these years__  
__But you still have__  
__All of me_

_All of me_

_All of me_

As Winry's voice drew out the notes, Alphonse felt this feeling in the pit of his stomach. He desperately wanted to find a way to go back.

"Brother.." Alphonse said quietly.

"I know Al, but it's been 3 years. Winry probably doesn't even remember us anymore." Alphonse punched Edward in the arm. Edward grabbed his arm and stared at Alphonse.

"What the hell Al?!" Edward exclaimed rubbed his arm. He looked up at Alphonse and he was surprised by the anger that he saw there. Or was it hurt?

"Brother.. I can't keep living here! It's suffocating! It's not our home. I'm was so glad when we were reunited, but I want to go home! Home to where our mother is buried. Home to where Granny is sick. I want to see Granny before she dies brother. And I want to go home to where my sister is. Where Winry is! Please brother, there has to be a way. I know you kept you promise, and I know you got my body back for my but please brother, make me another promise. Promise me, that you will help me find a way to go home." Alphonse had obviously had these thoughts for quite some time. Edward couldn't believe that Al was holding all of that emotion back. He stared at Al with wide eyes before dropping his eyes to his feet, his hair covering them.

"Please brother.. I know you want this too. I saw the way you looked at her every time she was around. And I saw the look in your eyes when you wrote her letters." Al stepped forward and grabbed Edward's shoulders.

"Umm.." Noah interrupted, "Would you guys like some dinner?" Alphonse looked over at her and then back at Ed who was still staring down. Alphonse sighed and stormed stairs to his room.

"Sorry Noah.." Edward murmured quietly before heading up the stairs to his own room. He laid face down on his bed and thought of Winry. He missed her so much. They say home is where the heart is. Well if that's true, then he hasn't been home in a long time. He just didn't want to make Al a promise that he wasn't sure if he could keep. He honestly wasn't sure if there was a way to get back through the gate.

He thought of the words to the song and he wondered what they meant. He could hear the heartbreak in her voice. With a sigh, he put the back of his hand to his forehead. He didn't think coming to Germany and living here would be so hard. There was an emptiness in his heart. He didn't realize what she had meant to him until he realized that he would never see her again. After hearing that Granny was sick, Edward couldn't help but agree with Al.

He wanted to give Winry pleasant dreams again. He couldn't help but snort at that thought. Of course she said it in her song, but after failing to bring his mother back, he didn't want to let his emotions take control of him again. They needed to find a way to get back to Risembool. They needed to find a way home. They needed to find a way back to _her._

_5 years old, Risembool_

"Winryy! Come on I'm tired! Can you hurry up please?" Edward groaned and put his hand over his eyes. He heard Winry sigh but she continued her work.

"Listen, if you would come back more frequently to take care of this better, your repairs wouldn't take so long! Now stop whining like a baby before I hit you in the head!" She was quite exhausted herself. She had worked on other clients all day until Edward showed up. Then she started working Edward's arm. His leg needed to be built from scratch since he had grown an inch and a half since she had last seen him.

Winry briefly rubbed her eyes and yawned. He was always such a pain in the ass when he showed up. Of course Winry wasn't complaining that she got to see him, but she hated that it is was always under bad circumstances. She hadn't slept well last night and she hadn't eaten much today because she had forgotten.

Edward peeked at her from under his hand. He always avoided looking at Winry because his heart rate would always increase. His eyes wandered down from her face that was concentrating on her work, down to her chest where his eyes lingered. He could feel the heat rising to his cheeks. When he heard her sigh again, he looked back up at her face. She closed her eyes slowly. It was just then that he realized how pale she looked.

"Hey Win, are you ok- WAHH!" Just then she passed out and landed on the floor. He could feel panic rise in his chest. Lucky she had just finished working on his arm. He jumped up from the table and picked her up from the floor.

"Winry, are you okay?!" He was so afraid that something was wrong. She weakly, tiredly, reached up and smacked him in the head.

"I'm fine idiot, now be quiet and take me to bed please.." Her voice sounded so tired. Edward had a feeling he would be staying in Risembool for longer than 4 days like he had originally hoped. He calmed down and his expression softened.

"Sure Win.. You need to take better care of yourself.." He mumbled as her carried her up to her room and gently laid her down on her bed. He admired her sleeping face. Perfect porcelain skin, that was a bit pale right now but it looked soft to the touch. Her eyelids were closed, her long lashes gracing her cheeks. He had known ever since he could remember that Winry was a beautiful girl. He almost reached his hand out to touch her cheek, but he quickly dismissed that thought. He got up to leave, but he felt her hand on his wrist.

"Ed.. Do you remember that time when you, Al and I had a sleepover when we were younger? Do you remember how we begged our parents for weeks to let us do it but, they always said it wasn't appropriate for guys and girls to have sleepovers? We finally convinced them and we ended up staying up all night? Do you think, umm.. Do you think we could have a sleepover again? I know it seems childish but, we're friends right? And I really missed you guys!" Edward's eyes widened at her words. He hadn't even realized that she was still awake and he didn't know how to respond.

"Uh Win, I.. I think that would be inappropriate." He rubbed the back of his head with his free hand and tried to get up from the bed, but she tightened her grip on his wrist.

"I don't care! Please Ed? Don't leave me. Stay with me. Please.." He looked down into her tired blue eyes. Even when she was tired, he eyes were so beautiful and captivating. Her saw loneliness in her eyes and he couldn't help but feel guilty. He didn't want his good friend to feel alone. He sighed in defeat and laid down beside her in the bed.

"Fine, but if Pinako gets angry about this, you take the blame okay?" He looked over at Winry when he heard movement from her side of the bed. This proved to be a mistake because since the bed wasn't made for two people, her face was inches away from his. He could feel her breath on his face. He felt his face heat up, and he hoped that she couldn't tell how embarrassed he was.

**Winry's point of view**

She didn't know what had come over her when she asked Edward to stay. She was just so tired of never getting to see him and she hoped that he got Al's body back soon so that they would be back permanently. When he turned to face her, she felt a little embarrassed at how close their faces were but, at the same time, she didn't really care. She bit her lip and looked down.

She knew that she felt something for Edward. She had had a crush on him since they were kids and she honestly thought that she would outgrow it. Especially when he left to get Al's body back and she never got to see him. But, that only seemed to make her realize just how much she cared about him. The hard part was that even when he was here, she couldn't express the way she felt because she didn't want to distract him from his goal. It wouldn't be fair to do that to either of the two boys.

She also knew that Edward was not only oblivious, but he was also focused on his goal of getting Al's body back. Of course she didn't think this was a bad thing. If she expressed that she felt something to him, she knew he wouldn't return the feelings. Still, every time she saw him spar with Al, she couldn't help but notice how muscular he was and it gave her sensations in places that made her embarrassed to think about. Any girl would love to have a guy like him physically. That wasn't what mattered to her obviously. She admired his determination, his loyalty and his love for his brother.

When she looked back up at him, she saw that his eyes were closed, his features relaxed. It wasn't often that she saw him look so at peace. He was probably exhausted from his journey to Risembool from wherever on Earth he had come from. She was very exhausted as well. She smiled fondly at his sleeping face and before she could stop herself, or have second thoughts about her actions, she leaned up and kissed his temple. She let her lips linger for a minutes before pulling back slowly.

She let her eyes stay closed for a minute when she put her head back on her pillow before decided to sneak another peak at his handsome face. She realized right away, that he was looking right back at her through half-lidded eyes. Her face heated up once she realized that he was awake when she kissed his forehead.

"Over the years, I've always had to make sure that I'm on guard at all times. I've become a very light sleeper." He explained quietly. Winry's eyes widened as she realized she probably woke him up.

"I-I.. I'm sorry.." She looked down again and felt her cheeks get even warmer. "I didn't mean to wake you up." Her eyes shot open when she suddenly felt his lips on her forehead.

"Relax Win, and get some rest. You deserve to have good dreams." She could hear him stifle a yawn while he was talking. When she looked back up, he had his eyes again. She shifted to get closer to him shyly and then closed her eyes as well.

"Goodnight Ed." She heard him let out a grunt as she began to drift off. _'As long as you're here with me, I'll always have pleasant dreams.'_

_Present day Risembool_

Winry could still remember the feel of his lips on her forehead like it was yesterday. They were surprisingly soft and gentle. She always mentally kicked herself when she thought of the memory as if it meant something more than it did. If only she had kissed him on the lips instead of on the forehead. Once he left for good, she realized just how much he meant to her. She loved him.

It was when she came to realize that he would never come home that she decided that she would never get married. She never looked at another man and had the feelings that she felt when she looked at Edward Elric. She thought she could get over the heartache, but she quickly realized that wasn't possible.

She pulled into the driveway of her home. Thank God she was salaried. It didn't matter how many hours she worked, so long as the work got done, she would get paid a flat amount for the year. She had started at 7 in the morning and usually left between 1 and 2 in the afternoon depending on what she had to do. Now that she was a doctor on top of being an automail mechanic, she didn't have to write any more songs for money. She just did that in the beginning to get things going.

She also had supplies at her house to do research at home. She worked as much as she could to find the cure. No other doctor in the region that she had taken the notes to could crack the code. Winry hoped that as their daughter, she could understand where her parents thinking was but it was difficult. It was like trying to put a puzzle together when half of the pieces were no where to be found.

"Granny, I'm home!" She called after she walked in the door to her home. She could hear her grandmother working in her workshop. She let out a sigh of relief. At least she was feeling well enough to work.

After going up to her room and changing, she made her way into the workshop to help her grandmother out. She was already tired so she could tell that it was going to be a long night.

* * *

A/N: Thanks for reading guys! Let me know what you think, I have the next chapter already written but, I want to know what you guys think before I post it. I want to make sure you guys like where's it going! ;D Review and make me happy guys!


	2. Truth is not in our favor

Author's Note: Hello everyone! :D Well, I know it hasn't been a week yet but like I've said, I have the whole story written xD and I just hope that you like this chapter!

Reviewers~

Rumia: I totally agree which is why I wrote this! I have been so frustrated that the first series didn't even with them together :( how depressing! I really appreciate all of your feedback and I'm glad to hear that you like it! :D Thank you!

RockingCass12: I really hope you like this chapter as much as you like the first! :D

Without further adieu! :D enjoy!

* * *

_Present day Risembool_

The orphanage was going to be opened by the end of the week. There were already a few kids that were supposed to make the building their home as soon as it was opened. Many of them were living at a homeless shelter currently which was an awful place for children to be in Winry's opinion. Children needed a sense of security and belonging growing up so that they would have minimal emotional problems when they became adults. Winry knew first hand how hard it was to grow up without parents and subsequently wanted to make sure that orphans got a chance at life like her grandmother had given her.

One little girl's name was Lily. She had been brought to Winry's house a few days ago by local police officers. They had been informed that Winry was opening an orphanage soon. The officers had explained that when they had taken Lily to the homeless shelter, she had started crying hysterically and they decided to bring her to the Rockbell residence instead.

Winry had gotten down to eye level with little Lily and told her that she was more than welcome to stay with her until the orphanage was opened. Lily's eyes had filled with tears and she had jumped into Winry's arms in a instant. Lily was an adorable little girl with bright green eyes, and chestnut colored in two braided pigtails. If she didn't know any better, she would say that the child was a relative of Trisha Elric. Scooping the girl up in her arms, Winry took her inside and did her best to make her feel at home.

Lily was a very quiet little girl. She didn't run around and play like a normal little girl should, and she followed Winry around everywhere. Winry had wanted to give the little girl some time to get used to living to her before she tried asking the little girl any questions. Winry had taken two weeks of work off from the hospital to help with everything that needed to be done at the orphanage. Of course Winry still stayed up late to do research on her own time after Lily went to bed.

One night in particle, Winry was in her room working when she heard a small knock on her down. Looking over at the clock, Winry realized that it was almost midnight. Standing up from her desk, she went over to the door and slowly pulled it open. Bright green teary eyes stared up at her.

"Lily? What is it? Are you alright?" She smiled gently at the little girl, her maternal instincts that she didn't know she had until she met the little girl kicking in.

"I-I.. I had a bad dream.." She said meekly, the tears in her eyes spilling over. Winry reached out and pulled the little girl into her arms, the work she had previously been working on long forgotten.

"Oh honey, it's okay! Do you want to talk about it?" Winry stroked the girls hair as Lily cried into her shoulder.

"I-It.. was about t-the man that.. shot my.. m-mommy and d-daddy.." The little girl started sobbing and Winry gently lifted the girl off the floor and held her in her arms. She was really started to get attached to Lily. She was happy she could help her, but she was afraid of becoming attached and getting too distracted from her research. The only connection she had made so far was that the disease was the result of a blood abnormality. It was the only piece of information that she had been able to decipher from her parents notes so far.

"You know, after I lost my mommy and daddy, I missed them so much. I had nightmares every single night." Winry told the little girl, trying to help her feel better by making her feel like she wasn't the only one who had to face something so terrible. "I missed them so much Lily, but I promise you, it will get better. The pain will never go away, but you will find a way to cope and I just know that you be an amazing grown-up one day." She heard the little girl's sobs subside just enough to know that her words had helped the little girl.

"I-I saw him shoot them.. Miss Winry, how did you cope? You seem like an angel! I don't know how I could ever be as amazing as you." Winry couldn't help but chuckle at the little girl's comment. _'If only you knew little one..'_

"My granny always told me not to feel sorry for myself. That won't help you to get to anywhere. I also.." Winry hesitated. "I had someone that I wanted to be the best for. I didn't seem him very often and now I won't ever see him again but, trying to be the best mechanic for him was the way that I forgot about the pain." Of course she still loved automail and worked on it when she could but, her focus had shifted to making her grandmother better. Winry could feel a sad smile spread across her face at the thought of him.

She had loved him. It was shame that she hadn't realized it until it was too late and now she would never get a chance to tell him. Now she had different goals that she needed to focus on. She didn't have time for that kind of love. Her work was her lover. She almost laughed out loud at that thought.

"Did you love him Miss Winry?" The little girl pulled back slightly to look at the older woman's face. Winry smiled at Lily, set the girl back on her feet and began to tickle her. Lily started to giggle before bursting out into full on laughter.

"Not everything is a love story you silly little girl!" Yes Winry had loved him, but what she had with him was far from a love story. It was one-sided. Edward never thought of her like that. She kept tickling her until she got worried about that Lily couldn't breathe. Lily smiled up at her and wiped the remainder of the tears off her face.

"Miss Winry I know you're busy but.." Lily looked down shyly, the smile leaving her face. "Can I sleep in here tonight?" Lily cautiously looked back up at Winry. With a smile, Winry scooped the little girl up and carried her to her bed.

"Just for tonight though, okay?" She said, tucking Lily into her bed and smiling down at her. Lily smiled brightly up at her. She hadn't seen the little girl smile so sincerely since she had shown up at her door. Well, after the initial tears of course.

"Okay! My mom always used to tell me stories when I had bad dreams... Will you tell me a story? About the man? What's his name?" Winry looked down hesitantly at the young girls request before meeting Lily's eyes with a small, distant smile and a faint blush on her face.

"Alright but," she reached out and stroked Lily's hair, "It has to be our secret okay? You can't tell anyone else about him!" Lily excitedly bobbed her head up and down.

"Of course Miss Winry," She reached her pinky out toward Winry, "pinky promise!" Winry laughed at the little girl's adorable antics. Had she been this cute when she was younger? She linked her pinky with Lily's.

"Okay. I knew ever since I could remember. His name was Edward Eric. He was very stubborn and often times had a bad temper. But he had a big heart. He has a brother named Alphonse, and had a mother named Trisha. His father was never really in the picture, but his name was Hohenheim. Have you ever heard of Alchemy?"

_Present day Gemany_

Edward sneezed. Someone must be talking about him. It was 12:30 in the morning, who would be talking about him? He had such a hard time sleeping ever since he could remember but, it got worse when he came to Germany, and even worse since had heard _her_ voice. Ever since that day, he was trying to find a way to get back to Risembool, but he wasn't sure if it was even possible. He would just lay in his bed and think of her.

With a sigh, he decided to get out of bed and go for a walk. Maybe the exercise would help him fall asleep. He sat on the edge of his bed for a minute before standing up and putting on his shoes. He made his way out the door, shoving his hands into his pockets. It was a windy night. The air in Germany always smelled dirty and gross. He wrinkled his nose as the aroma filled his nose. Oh how he missed the fresh air smell in Risembool.

He wasn't really paying attention to where he was going, and his feet brought him to the last place he expected him to.

A church.

He stared up at the figure of Jesus Christ on the cross as he made his way up to the front of the church. Now everyone that knew Edward Elric, would not refer to him as a religious person. Quite the opposite actually. He was a man of science. But for some reason, he ended up here. He was sure that this was what the gypsies would call "fate."

He sat on the front pew and folded his hands in front of his mouth. He wanted more than anything to go home to where he belonged, and although he didn't believe in a higher power, it couldn't hurt his chances right? He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Listen, uhm, whoever you are," He hesitated because he honestly had no clue who he was talking to, "I'm sure that Truth knows that I don't belong here. Heck, I don't even know who Truth is to be honest. My brother hates it here, and I hate seeing him miserable but.. I also hate it here too. I tried to tell myself that I had to be happy here so that Al and I could finally live a normal life. I got him his body back so I thought that was all that mattered. That was my priority but.." He sighed as Winry's smiling face popped into his mind, "I should have made her my priority when I could have. Please.. If anyone's out there just let there be a way for me to go home."

He kept his eyes closed even after he stopped talking. He was afraid if he opened them, he would start crying and Edward Elric did NOT cry. It was just so frustrating to go through so much and to still end up not being happy in the end.

"So you are looking for a way to the other side eh boy?" His eyes snapped toward the direction from which the hoarse sounding voice came. An elderly old man sat at the back of the church. Edward hadn't even heard the man come in. He wrinkled his forehead at the intrusion.

"Who the heck are you and why were you listening to me?" Edward glared at the man. He was a very private person and he didn't like the idea of some random person knowing his thoughts. Wait.. This man knew of the gate!

"Feisty are we? I did not see your name on this church Mr. Elric." The sly smirk that spread across the man's face could be seen even at the front of the church where Edward was. _'How does this man know who I am?!'_

"Listen, I don't know who you are or how you know who I am. But frankly I don't care. What I do care about is how you know about the gate and the other side. Also, how MUCH do you know about the gate? Can you help me find a way back to the side?" Edward stood and started walking toward the back of the church. The smirk left the man's face when Edward stood up. The man jumped up and started walking backwards toward the door.

"Stop right there!" The man nearly screamed and put his hands up for emphasis. Edward flinched slightly at the man's volume but halted his movements. Ed needed to know if this man knew anything that would help him. Ed squinted slightly at the man and tilted his head to the side in curiosity. When he was younger, Edward would've had no patience and he would've probably kept walking but, he had gained some maturity over the years. He knew better than to push this man too far if he wanted to get information out of him.

"I wasn't trying to scare you or something.." Edward mumbled, keeping his eyes on the man. The old man sighed and dropped his hands to his sides.

"Listen, I do not know you past your name, and you do not know me even by name. However, I will let you know some information that could help you." The old man pulled a vial containing a dark liquid out of his pocket, "This is called Vortimo Pi. I can not tell you much about this other than the name is gypsy language for truth drink. I have used this for centuries to travel across the gate but, you must not drink of this unless the time is right and Truth is in your favor. That is all that I can tell you. I must take my leave." With that, the old man set the vial down on the last row and backed out of the door to the church.

Edward felt like he seen a ghost. This was just crazy. Maybe his lack of sleep was really starting to get to him. There was no way that he could trust this man but, if what the man said was true, there was no harm in looking into this. Maybe Noah could tell him more about the weird substance. He had to rub his eyes for a minute just to make sure that the vial was actually there. Edward walked toward the last pew where the vial was and simply stared down at the vial. Should he take it? What if the stuff was poison?

It couldn't hurt right? He owed it to himself to look into this but even more than that, he owed it to Al. Alphonse was so miserable here and Edward would do anything to make his brother happy. All that work he had done to get his brother's body back, and now Ed rarely got to see him smile anymore. At first things were great. Then after the first couple months, Alphonse began to become distant as if his mind was in another world and Ed knew exactly which world that was. An image of a large yellow house with a red mailbox and a sign with the word "Automail" out in front of it came into his mind.

Edward took the vial in his hand. He tilted the vial around, examining the liquid inside the tube. It was oddly cold. _'I really hope this turns into something or I'm never stepping foot in a church again..'_

_Present day Risembool_

The next day, Winry awoke a bit startled at first when she realized that someone was in her bed. That was until she remembered that Lily had had a bad dream the night before. She had stayed up telling the little girl stories about Ed and Al until 2 in the morning. The little girl was so excited to hear about the two men. It reminded her of how excited she used to get when her mom told her stories about automail patients.

Lily was still asleep, so Winry carefully got out of bed. She didn't want to wake the little girl since she had kept her up so late. Looking at the clock, Winry realized that it was already 8:30. She had to get some work down on the many automail orders that had come in recently. She didn't want to let her grandmother do too much.

Winry made her way out of her room and into the kitchen where she heard someone, whom she assumed was her grandmother, moving around. Then she heard a crash. Winry gasped and ran toward the sound of the commotion. She was horrified by what she saw. Her grandmother lay on the floor, shattered glass all over the floor.

"Granny!" Winry screamed and ran over to her grandmother, glass sticking into the bottom of her feet as she did so but she didn't care. "Are you alright?!" Her grandmother's face was extremely pale, dark circles under her eyes. Her grandmother slowly opened her eyes and started coughing, blood getting all over herself and Winry.

"I'm sorry Winry but.. I think this disease is finally starting to get the better of me.." Normally Granny would deny her symptoms. That's how Winry knew that things were getting serious. How could she not have seen this coming?

"Granny.. I-I'm sorry! I should've never let you work so hard. I should've been home more. I should-" She was cut off by her grandmother.

"Winry! What did I tell you? I've lived a long life and I have no regrets so long as I know you're happy. Please don't give my heart sorrow and blame yourself!" The old woman was trying to be forceful but her voice was weak. Pinako reached a weak hand up and wiped a tear from Winry's cheek. Winry hadn't even realized that she was crying until she did so.

"I.. I promise Granny.." Winry tried to be sincere but it was hard when she didn't mean what she said. She picked up her grandmother carefully and carried Pinako up to her bed. She ignored the pain in the bottom of her feet and she laid her grandmother down in bed and tucked her in.

"Granny, I love you.." Winry felt like a little kid as the tears filled up her eyes again. She really didn't want to lose her grandmother. She had worked so hard so that this wouldn't happen. She had wanted her grandmother not to be in pain.

"Winry, I love you too and I am very proud of how hard you have been working.." Her grandmother seemed like she could barely keep her eyes open. _'If only it was enough to save you Granny...'_ Winry was mentally tearing herself apart.

"There's something I want you to have. Open the top drawer of my nightstand." Pinako spoke quietly, and didn't open her eyes. Winry hesitated for a moment, afraid that if she looked away from her grandmother's face, she would never see her again. She followed her instructions, slowly opening the drawer. There was a black chain in the drawer with two gold bands on it. Winry recognized the rings instantly. Her parents used to wear there their wedding rings on black chains around their necks at all times. She never knew that her Granny had the rings.

"Take them Winry.. Your parents would want you to have them. Look inside them.." Winry looked on the inside of the rings. They were both engraved _May 1 1897._ Winry's expression softened. She recognized it as the date of their wedding. She put the necklace on, and took her grandmother's hand. Pinako's eyes were opened slightly.

"Be.. Happy Winry.. Your parents would want that, and I want that.." As Pinako's eyes drifted closed, Winry could feel herself losing it.

"I.. I will Granny.. Granny? Granny?!" Her grandmother didn't respond and she knew that it was over. She no longer had any family members left. Winry completely broke down at this point and sobbed. She laid her head down on the bed, and let herself be miserable. She was completely alone now. Den whimpered and nuzzled her hand but she ignored the dog. No matter how much she wanted things to be okay, they weren't.

Winry laid there and cried until she felt like her eyes were going to fall out. They were so sore and she was sure that she looked like a complete mess. But she didn't care. Her heart felt so cold and tight in her chest. She laid there and stared at the wall for a while before taking a deep breath. She sat up and took her grandmother's wrist. No pulse. She was already sure that that was the case but, she had to be sure. Getting up, she picked up the phone and called the police. It didn't take long for them to show up, followed by the coroner, and other medical personal.

"I know this may be a strange request but, I would like samples of her blood. I would also like for her body to be examined if that's possible. I work at Risembool Hospital so if you could send the results there, I would appreciate it. I've been working for a long time to find a cure for this disease." Winry felt odd asking for this but, she had spent so much time on this research. Her grandmother would want some good to come out of her death.

Winry assured them that she was a doctor herself, and therefore she could patch up her own feet. She dragged herself into the bathroom and began pulling the glass shards out. None of them were deep enough to need stitches. She wrapped up her feet and them limped to her room. She quickly changed her clothes and discarded them into her hamper. She pulled on a black tank top and skinny jeans. She needed to make sure that Lily didn't discover what happened before she had a chance to explain it to the little girl. Lily hadn't known Pinako for long but, it would still be traumatizing.

Winry took a deep breath as she sat on the edge of the bed. She couldn't break down in front of the little girl who had just witnessed her own parents death. Winry gently shook Lily's shoulder.

"Lily.. It's time to wake up." Lily rubbed her eyes and stretched. She blinked away the sleepiness and looked up at Winry.

"Miss Winry? Are you okay?" Lily yawned and sat up. It was hard for Winry to be the adult in this situation. She always used to be the one that could lose it when news like this came out, but she had to keep her composure.

"No Lily. Listen, I know you didn't know my Granny very well but, you knew she is.. _was_ sick right?" It was hard to face the fact that this was the reality. "She passed away this morning. You understand that, right?" Winry wasn't sure how the little girl would react. Lily's forehead wrinkled and she tilted her head to the side.

"She died? Miss Winry.. I'm sorry.. Is it my fault? Did I make her stress and make her get sicker?" Lily's question was completely genuinely. Winry quickly shook her head.

"Of course not! Granny was happy to have you around. Sometimes, death is inevitable. She would want something good to come out of this. Maybe I will be able to find a cure." She smiled sadly at the little girl. Lily seemed to understand. She nodded her head slowly.

"There's a lot to be done today. We can't feel sorry for ourselves Lily. That's what Granny always said. We need to go interview potential workers for the orphanage, and given the current circumstances, we have to make funeral arrangements." She smiled gently at the little girl.

"Okay Miss Winry.. I understand." Winry took the brush off her night stand and began brushing Lily's hair. Winry was dying on the inside but she wouldn't let the young girl see how much pain she was in. More than anything, she was tearing herself about. She had to be strong for Lily and for all of the other people out there that were dying of the illness that stole the wisest and strongest woman in all of Amestris. Now Winry had to live up to the Rockbell name and be as strong as she could.

_Present Day Germany_

Alphonse felt pain in his chest. Something just wasn't quite right. His brother had told him about Vortimo Pi. Edward had told him that it was probably a long shot and that he shouldn't get his hopes up. But Alphonse did get his hopes up. Noah had told them that she was sure that what the man had told them was true. She had heard of it and she knew that it was dangerous if it was not used properly. They had to be completely sure that the time was right. Noah said that they would know when the time was right. Noah also begged them to take her along if they decided to use it.

Al made the way down the stairs to tell his brother about the bad feelings that he was having. He wasn't sure if it meant anything but, it couldn't hurt to let Ed know. When he walked in the kitchen, he saw Edward sitting there with his nose stuffed in a gypsy book that Noah had given him.

"Edward.. I feel weird today. My chest hurts.." Edward's eyes snapped up to his brother's face. His forehead slightly wrinkled in worry.

"Mine too, and this book says that usually those who are seeking the same fate will sync up when the time approaches. It says that when outsiders use gypsy potions, there can be consequences. I'm not quite sure that this is a great idea Al. I mean, what if this kills us?" Edward truly wanted to make his brother happy but, this stuff all seemed like hocus pocus.

"Brother, I'm grateful for everything that you did for me." Al sat at the table and started his brother straight in the eyes. "Trust me Edward, I have this feeling that.. we don't belong here and I know that everything will work out okay. This is for you just as much as it is for me. You sacrificed so much of your life getting my body back. I don't want you to sacrifice it for me anymore. I want you to be happy too. You know that right?" Edward sighed. Alphonse was always to more sentimental one between the two.

"Fine Al, let's try this. I trust you."

* * *

A/N: Why do you guys think about this chapter? I would love to hear what my reader's thoughts are! :D The next chapter is longer, and A LOT happens. I was actually considering spitting it into 2 because I really feel like too much happens.. I haven't decided yet!


	3. Discovering penicillin

Author's note: Hello everyone! Now, I just want to let you know something about this chapter. It was hard for me to write it without being technical about the experimentation stuff (you'll see what I mean). I'm a Molecular Biology major currently and although I'm only in my second year, I understand what I'm talking about. I just tried to make it simple and tried not to go into anything technical... Or history related lol I'm a total science history nerd xD

I also want to say that I use FMA Wikia for all of the information that I use in my stories. Such as in the last chapter about Winry's parent's rings? There's actually pictures out there of them wearing the necklaces. I try to make sure that I double check everything so that it's as accurate as possible.

Rumia: Thank you for your dedication to my story!~ :D I too am sad that I don't have more readers but I guess the series is kind of dying down now which breaks my heart.. :/ ahh well! I hope you enjoy this chapter! :]

* * *

_Present day Risembool_

Winry had hired 20 employees for the orphanage. All of which she ran background checks on and interviewed personally. One of the employees was a good friend of hers named Annalee. She had known her since she was about 10 and she knew the girl had a heart of gold. The orphanage was supposed to open tomorrow but Winry wasn't worried about that today.

Today was Pinako's funeral and Winry's heart was breaking. She pathetically hoped that Ed and Al would just show up out of no where. Of course she knew that would never happen.

Winry pulled up her knee length black dress that hugged all of her curves. She didn't like spending a lot of money on clothes. She wasn't trying to look immodest on such an important day but it was her only black dress. It had spaghetti straps that cross over each other in the shape of an X on her back. She pulled a simple quarter sleeved black sweater on over her dress and slipped on black flats since her feet were still quite sore from the glass. She decided to pull her hair back into a tight bun on the top of her head.

She looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes looked so dull and empty and she hadn't even bothered to wear any makeup. Who was there to impress? She could already feel the tears filling up her eyes as she thought about what today meant. She heard a knock on her door and she knew that it was Lily.

"Come on in Lily," Winry called without turning around. Lily walked in in her cute little black dress that Winry had bought for her the previous day. Yes she didn't like spending money on clothes for herself but dressing up Lily had been way too fun when they went shopping.

"Will you do my hair like yours Miss Winry?" Winry smiled at the little girl's comment. She was very thankful for the Lily's presence these last few days. It helped her feel less alone but it didn't make the void go away completely.

"Of course!" Winry made her way over to Lily and started pulling the her hair back.

"Miss Winry, I know this might not be a great time but.. I don't know if I'll get a chance to ask you after today.." Lily fiddled with her index fingers shyly. She was such a shy little girl.

"Now that's not true Lily, I will visit you as often as I can. But, ask away okay? Don't be afraid to ask me anything." After finishing up Lily's hair, she reached over and opening the top drawer of her night stand, pulling out some black flower hair clips. "I wore these to my parent's funeral."

"Thank you for letting my wear them Miss Winry! And about what I wanted to ask.. I was wondering if I could see a picture of the Elric brothers. Do you have one?" Winry was sort of surprised by the question and she could feel her chest tightening up. She really didn't want to think of the Elrics today because it would just remind her of their absence. But she didn't want to make Lily feel upset.

Winry pulled the bottom drawer of her nightstand open and took out a photo album. She kept her back to Lily for a few seconds, trying to make sure that she stayed composed. She opened the book to the very last page.

"This photo album has my baby pictures, pictures of my parents and Granny.. and also pictures of Ed and Al. These are all my favorite pictures. We don't have a lot of time before we leave so, I'll just show you the most recent ones okay?" She walked over toward Lily and handed her the photo album. There were a few pictures of Al after he got his body back. There were also some pictures that she had gotten of Edward when he wasn't looking.

There was one where Ed was asleep on the couch with an Alchemy book on his lap, his mouth hanging wide open. Lily started to laughing at that one. Lily flipped the page back and Winry could feel her heart stop for a second. There was a picture that she forced Edward to take with her. She had her arm linked around his neck with a bright smile on her face and her was looking at her out of the corner of his eye. There was another that Al had taken and given to her later on of them back to back, she was asleep and he was looking back at her. She remembered that night. They were looking out the window out the moon just talking about life, and she had fallen asleep.

"Is this Edward?" Lily was pointing to the picture of Edward and herself back to back. Winry could feel her face heating up at the question. Slowly, she reached her hand out and ran her fingers over the picture.

"Yeah.." She had to clear her throat because it felt dry, "That's.. That's Edward. Uhm you know Lily, we really need get going, okay?" Winry took the album, closed it and put it back into her nightstand. Lily nodded and grabbed Winry's hand.

"Miss Winry.. He was really handsome." Lily giggled and started pulling Winry out of the house. '_He was really really handsome..' _Winry laughed a bit at her own thought. Edward would have been so arrogant about it if he knew she had that thought. Then she remembered that she would never see him again and the smile left her face.

The funeral had a lot of people. Pinako was a well-known, well-liked woman. There were old friends and clients all mourning the loss of a woman that had touched the lives of so many people. They all talked about her stubbornness, and her strength, but most of all, everyone talked about the woman's never-ending heart that touched everyone that she met. There was laughter, tears and heartache.

As they lowered the casket into the final resting place of Pinako Rockbell, Winry couldn't hold it in anymore. The tears flowed freely down her face. Lily stood beside her but kept her eyes on the casket. She felt an arm around her shoulder and she looked over to see Garfiel. She had worked with him for a few years and they had become very close before she found out Pinako was sick.

"I'm sorry Winry but you know, your grandmother was an incredible woman and she would want us to be celebrating her life, not mourning her loss." He smiled sadly at her. She felt an arm wrap around her waist from the other side and when she looked over, she saw Paninya. She smiled weakly and looked back and forth between the two of them once.

"Thanks you guys, I appreciate your support.." Winry sniffed and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Are you guys in town for a while? You're welcome to stay at the house if you want. It's so big and it's.. going to be quiet on my own." Winry smiled sadly.

"We'd love to stay with you for a couple days!" Paninya said happily.

_Present day Germany _

"Brother, for some reason the sky seems dark today.." Ed and Al were taking a walk through a local park in Germany. Ed's nose wrinkled at the smell. You'd think after years of being in Germany, he'd be used to it.

"I think you're seeing things Al, stop acting like a girl." Ed said this to get his brother worked up. The last few weeks had been kind of depressing and he was trying to lighten the mood.

"HEY! Brother!" Al glared at his brother. Alphonse was halfway between pouting, and being angry. Edward burst out laughing out loud at his little brother's expression. Alphonse rolled his eyes and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"I'm serious brother! I've been feeling really sad lately and I don't know why.." Alphonse looked back up at the sky.

"Aw c'mon Al, I'm just teasing you. To tell you the truth, I've been feeling a little sad too and I don't know why either. Well I mean, other than being stuck on this side of the gate." Alphonse snorted at his brother's comment.

"Well well well. You finally admit that you don't like it here either. Any other confessions? Like, oh I don't know, you miss a certain pair of blue eyes?" Alphonse smiled deviously and watched his brother's face for a reaction. When Ed's face painted pink, it was Alphonse's turn to burst out laughing.

"Ha ha ha, very funny Al." Edward was being completely sarcastic which just made Al laugh even more.

"Seriously though brother, I'm really starting to wonder when the right time's going to be. Do you think there's anything that can get us in Truth's favor sooner?" Alphonse asked after he finally stopped laughing.

"Well let's go back and talk to Noah. She's the gypsy. She would know better than me." Their walk back to the house quickly turned into a race.

"Brother stop, you're being immature! Just admit that I'm faster that you!" Alphonse called to his brother while they were running.

"Oh you wish Al. Are you sure we're related? You're so slow!" Edward called back to his brother. They both made it back to the house at the same time and got stuck in the doorway when they both tried to go through at the same time. Noah looked up when she heard the commotion and rolled her eyes.

"Aren't you both adults?" She said with a sigh. The brothers could act like children sometimes.

"Noah, will you tell Al that I'm faster than him?!" Edward practically yelled.

"No! Noah, tell Edward that there's almost no way we're related with how slow he is!" Alphonse yelled in response.

"Noah, Noah, Noah!" She kept hearing them call her name and yell insults back and forth to each other. She assumed that they acted like this because they had been separated for a period of time but it gave her such a headache at times like this.

"WOULD YOU TWO SHUT UP?!" She yelled at both of them, causing them both to stop squirming and stop yelling her name. Ed and Al looked at each other, and then took a step back.

"Please Al, ladies first." Ed said, motioning for Al to go through the doorway first. Alphonse glared at him then smirked and walked through the door.

"Ha, I beat you!" Al smiled deviously as he walked through the door first. Edward glared at his brother's back as he walked through the door behind him.

"Did you two need something?" Noah asked, looking back at the two of them.

"Noah, we're tired of a waiting. Is there some way that we can get in Truth's favor quicker?" Al said in a somewhat whiney voice.

"Well.. have you two ever been to church?" Noah asked and smirked when Edward's face twisted in disgust.

_Present day Risembool_

It was still hard for Winry when she got back after the funeral to realize that she was never going to get to see her grandmother face-to-face again. She was glad that Lily was still with her until tomorrow, and that Garfiel and Paninya had agreed to stay with her for a few days. At least she didn't have to deal with a silent house yet. She was working on dinner when her phone began to ring and Winry stared at it blankly for a moment before making her way over to it.

"Rockbell residence and automail repair. Can I help you?" Winry tried to sound happy.

"Miss Rockbell, I wanted to offer my condolences for your loss." It was Roy Mustang. She furrowed her brow and rolled her eyes. There was NO way that he was simply calling to say hello.

"Thanks. Now you can tell me why you're really calling me." She didn't even try to hide the impatience in her voice. She heard Mustang sigh on the other end.

"Alright. The reason that I'm calling you is because the illness that has taken your grandmother's life.. Well, it has spread to central. I'm requesting that you come here to work on the cure for it. We have better facilities to accommodate any needs that you may have." His voice was serious. Did he honestly think that she wanted to move to central? Winry heard a cough and her eyes snapped up toward the source of the noise. It was Lily.

"I will think about the request and call you back when it's more convenient for me. I don't want my dinner to burn, and I have company." Winry hung up the phone without letting him respond. She didn't take her eyes off of Lily as she slowly made her way over to the little girl.

"Lily.. Are you feeling alright?" Winry knelt down eye level with the girl as she put her hand on Lily's forehead. She already knew the answer. What she didn't understand was why? How come Lily got sick and she hadn't?

"Miss Winry, I've been feeling very tired all day." Winry furrowed her brow and wrapped her arms around the little girl. She didn't want Lily to know what her suspicions were. She pulled back quickly, not wanting to get too close to the little girl just to be safe.

"Lily, are you afraid of needles? After dinner, I would like to take some of your blood for examination." Lily looked terrified by Winry's question. She gently rubbed the little girl's shoulder.

"I'll do my best not to hurt you, I promise." Winry smiled comfortingly as she held out her pinky to the young girl. Lily couldn't hide the smile that spread across her face or the giggle that came out. She linked pinkies with Winry and nodded.

"Okay, just make me better okay?" Lily looked up at Winry with bright eyes. Winry had to be careful not to let the feel show on her face. She also didn't want to lie to the little girl.

"I will do the best that I can. Now would you like to help me finish dinner?" She ruffled Lily's hair after the girl nodded excitedly. "Good girl, now go wash your hands okay?" Lily skipped over to the sink.

Winry looked out the window of her room after dinner. She wasn't 100% sure that Lily had what he grandmother had and she wouldn't be certain until she went to Risembool hospital to get the blood samples from her grandmother. But she was certain that there wasn't something quite right about Lily's blood.

She had shown all of her guests to there rooms for the night, and Lily was sleeping in her own room. Winry was alone with her thoughts. She looked out over the horizon of the place that had always called her home. Soon she wouldn't be here anymore. Not that she had planned on living in Central for the rest of her life but, she was certainly going to miss the fresh air that Risembool provided. The air in the city felt so thick and dusty. She didn't like it one bit.

She couldn't help but think that maybe getting away from this house would do her some good. She could escape the painful memories for a while. She could feel tears filling up her eyes. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, the tears rolling down her cheeks. She still pathetically wished that if she opened her eyes, she would see the Elric brothers on the horizon.

"Edward.. I miss you so much.." She couldn't stop his name from leaving her lips. "I wish you were here. I know I never got a chance to tell how I felt about you but, if you were here, I'd say it loud and clear. But you know what? You're not. I'm here alone and I'm over this already. Lily is going to die unless I do something so I'm tired of thinking about you. Stop stealing my thoughts when I need them to make people better." Winry buried her face in her hands and cried. She was talking to herself like a crazy person. She let the tears flow freely down her cheeks.

The next couple days went by fast. Winry had compared Lily's blood to her grandmothers and discovered that Lily did have the disease which completely broke Winry's heart. The orphanage opened without any problems. Winry told Annalee to make sure that Lily stayed away from the other children as much as possible. She wished that she could stay and make sure that Lily was okay but, she knew that the best thing she could do for Lily was to go to Central where there would better resources.

She carried a suitcase along with her to the train station as well as a briefcase full of notes and the samples from her grandmother and Lily. She wore black slacks, with a black heels, a black tank top and sunglasses on her face. She was still in mourning. Lily had begged her to come along and see her off but, Winry insisted that Lily rest as much as possible. For some reason, the disease could quickly take a turn for the worst and Winry did not want that happening to Lily.

Her train ride to Central was quiet. Although she hadn't slept well over the last couple days, she didn't sleep on her trip. She felt like she couldn't and she knew that she had dark circles under her eyes. She wanted to make sure that she wasn't groggy when she got to Central. She wanted to make sure that she got right to work. She didn't know how much time that Lily had. What she couldn't help but wonder was how the disease spread to Central and how many people had caught it.

Lately she had felt like she was getting closer to the cure. Ever since Pinako had died, Winry stayed up nearly all night working on the cure and got up even earlier than before to go to the hospital to review the results from the evaluation of Pinako's body. She rarely gave into the temptation to sleep and when she looked in the mirror, her eyes looked dull and almost lifeless.

When her train finally arrived in Central, Winry was greeted by Roy and Riza who stood loyally at his side. Upon looking at the two, she noticed that Riza didn't looked very healthy. Now she knew why Mustang was taking it upon himself to make sure that Winry was filled in on everything that was going on in Central. Although Winry had never actually heard from them that there was some sort of personal relationship, she knew just by watching them that they were close. Mustang would look at his assistant with a soft look in his eyes, and Riza would return his gaze occasionally.

"So I'm guessing that Riza has the illness?" Winry smiled sadly at them as she walked over to the pair. Roy glanced over at his assistant who had her eyes straight ahead.

"Yes, it would appear so. Although we're not quite sure if it's the same thing but, she's not the only one here that's sick. Many other soldiers are as well. Would you like me to show you where you will be staying?" Roy asked calmly, looking back at Winry. She set her luggage down for a moment.

"Actually, considering the circumstances.. I was wondering if it would be possible to stay with you Riza. I don't want to intrude but, it would be much easier to do my research with a patient under the same roof." Winry looked at Riza with a sympathetic expression. Riza and Roy looked at each briefly before she nodded her head.

"That would be fine with me." Riza spoke quietly. "If you want to go back to the office sir, you can. I will show her back to my apartment and fill her in so that you can get back to work." Roy turned toward her. Winry was almost certain that she saw worry spread across that man's face before he closed his eyes and sighed.

"I suppose that would be acceptable. I do have a lot of work to get done today so, Miss Rockbell," Roy opened his eyes and turned them toward Winry, "Riza will fill you in. If you need anything, don't hesitate to call me." He turned and began walking away. Winry turned her attention back to Riza and smiled.

"Are you sure it's okay for me to stay with you? I really don't want to intrude on you.." She hadn't even thought before she asked about staying with the older woman. She was just so used to taking in guests at her own home so she didn't stop to think that maybe Riza didn't like having other people in her home.

"Oh please, you won't be intruding at all. It will actually be quite nice to have another woman around. I spend most of my time around men and it gets exhausting to to deal with their antics." Riza waved her hand dismissively. "Alright we should get moving. Roy loves to play hooky so, if it's possible, I need to make it back to the office tonight."

"That shouldn't be a problem. Actually, after dumping off my stuff and filling me in, would you mind showing me where I'll be working?" Riza looked over at Winry. It was hard to believe that after her trip the girl would want to start her work in Central.

"Yes, of course."

_Present day Germany_

This whole gypsy thing was starting to make Edward mad. First of all, he wasn't sure if it would even work. Was he seriously thinking about drinking some gross looking liquid that a stranger had given him and then magically appearing on the other side of the gate? He was a man of science and there nothing scientific about it at all.

He laid in his bed and couldn't help but wonder what would happen if he did get back to the other side. Winry hadn't said that she was married so maybe there was a chance that.. A knock on his door interrupted his thoughts.

"Come in." He called as he sat up. Noah walked into his room with a tray of food. He must have been in his room longer than he realized.

"You didn't come down for dinner so I thought I'd bring you some food." She set the tray down on his nightstand. "Uhm, Edward.. There's something I've been meaning to ask you.." She shyly rubbed the back of her head. Edward looked at he like she was crazy. What was she so nervous about? She sat next to him on the bed. _Really_ close to him on the bed, and grabbed his hands.

"I believe in fate you know? And I believe that fate brought you here, into my life for a reason and I.." She hesitated and looked up into his eyes, her thumb gently starting to move in circles on the back of his hands. He simply blinked at her, confused where his friend was going with this and looked down at their entwined hands.

"Brother!" Alphonse walked in through the door that Noah had left open, startling the two. Edward jumped up, away from Noah. Alphonse looked back and forth between the two of them. He could have sworn that he saw them holding hands but, that was impossible. He knew that his brother had feelings for Winry.

"Err.. Did I interrupt something?" Alphonse fixed his eyes on his brother while he rubbed the back of his head.

"N-No! Of course not. What is it Al?" Edward was actually glad that Al walked in. The air in the room was getting kind of thick a moment ago not to mention awkward.

"Well I was thinking maybe we should go to the church to pray or something. I mean, I know that we aren't really religious but we need Truth on our side. It's like you said Noah, we should go to church." Edward felt his face twist in disgust at the suggestion for the second time. The first time Noah had recommended it Edward vehemently disregarded the idea. But now that Al was suggesting it, it was hard for Ed to tell his little brother no. What could it hurt right? Plus, if Al was leaving, Ed didn't want to be left alone with Noah at the moment.

"Okay fine but, I don't want this to become a habit! The church smells all musty and I feel like I'm burning when I'm in there." Alphonse laughed out loud at his brother's statement. He knew it wasn't meant to be funny but to Al it sounded like his brother was a vampire or something.

"Whatever you say brother. Do you want to come with us Noah?" Alphonse was always a very polite person. He wasn't going to leave Noah out when she could know the most about this out of the three of them.

"Sure.." Al couldn't help but notice that Noah's voice sounded small and defeated. He wondered if something had really happened between the two.

"Let's get this shit over with," Edward grumbled. Alphonse smacked his brother's arm.

"Come on brother! We need Truth on our side right now! Watch your damn mouth!" Alphonse exclaimed. Edward pointed at his brother, dumbfounded that he had just gotten smacked for the very thing that his brother had just done himself. Noah grabbed them both by their ears and started dragging them out of the room with a sigh.

"Alright seriously, stop acting like children. Let's go."

Edward sat on the front pew of the church that had he had been at a few weeks back. He stared up at the figure of Jesus Christ once again. He was being stubborn. Although they came here to pray, he really didn't feel like doing it. He had prayed a few weeks back, that was enough for one lifetime right?

"Brother please.." Alphonse pleaded quietly. "We need all the luck we could get here!"

"It's not about luck Alphonse, it's about fate." He heard Noah say on the other side of his brother. With a sigh, he gave in and closed his eyes._ 'Listen Truth, I'm almost certain you can hear me. At the very least, just don't let this thing kill us.'_ His prayer was brief, but he wasn't really sure what else to say.

"I feel like the time is getting closer," Noah started talking again, "Gyspies believe that you can just feel it when something is about to happen and I certainly feel something." She spoke quietly, uncertainly.

"How are we going to know Noah?" Alphonse asked her. Edward kept his eyes forward. He still felt like this whole thing was a bunch of hocus pocus and he was just afraid that Al would be disappointed. Noah closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"I wish I knew."

Later that night, Edward was think about Winry. He could almost see her mesmerizing blue eyes, her long silky hair, and her graceful curves. Winry was like a walking contradiction because she was stubborn but, she was loving. She smelled like grease, and she worked on automail all day long, yet her skin was soft and she also smelled like vanilla. You thought that as a tomboy, she wouldn't walk so gracefully. He could just remember the way that her body moved when she walked. There was something so enticing about everything that she did.

He remembered that he used to catch himself staring at her all the time. He wanted to kiss her and touch her. Those thoughts always got pushed to the back of his mind before he'd gotten Al's body back. Now he would dream about her and needless to say, as a grown man, his dreams weren't always innocent. He wanted to be with her in _that _way.

Yet, she confused him to no end. He knew she had changed a lot after he had left. She hadn't even mentioned automail on the radio but, he knew that her parents were the same way. They both were automail geniuses before they become doctors as well. He heard a knock on his door. He closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep. Hopefully she wouldn't come in here again. He knew it was her because Al had fallen asleep not long after they had gotten home from the church. Luckily, after a minute or two, he heard the sound of her feet retreating.

He breathed a sigh of relief and started thinking about Winry again. He just hoped that she hadn't lost that sparkle in her beautiful blue eyes.

_Present day Central_

Winry had been in central for a week already and she felt like she was finally getting close. She had heard of other doctors and scientists working with a fungi known as _Penicillium. _She had seen in her parents papers something about ancient civilizations using certain fungi and plant abstracts to treat illnesses. This was something that every other doctor that she had taken the notes to simply said was her parents rambling about history. At first she tried to agree with the other doctors because they had years of experience. But Winry knew her parents. The more she thought about, the more she thought that it wasn't a coincidence. They wouldn't have written it down if it wasn't relevant.

So Winry had requested some agar plates as well as _Penicillium _and she started to run some experiments. First, she took the blood sample from her grandmother and separated the material in the blood that was abnormal. She spread the material onto 4 different plates and put them into an incubator. She also spread _Penicillium _onto a plate and placed that into the incubator. She let them sit for 24 hours before looking at them so that they had time to grow. The next thing that she did was take the fungi samples and spread them over 2 of the plates, leaving one for comparison.

She wasn't sure what would happen when she put them back into the incubator for another 24 hours. After a day, the plates showed no change. So she spread more fungi on the plates and waited another day, and then repeated the process and waited another day. After the first 3 days, she felt very disappointed and frustrated because there seemed to be no change. That was time that was wasted. At first when she took the plates out on the third day, she was about to throw them in the trash. That was until she looked more closely. She realized that the plates were started to clear up in some places. Upon close inspection, she realized that there was _Penicillium _growing on the plate.

"O-Oh.. oh my god!" She tried to remain calm but she felt her heart speed up. She was so excited and eager to see what would happen. She took the 2 plates out of the incubator and spread more of the _Penicillium _onto each of the plates. After another week of adding fungi each day, the plates were completely clear except for some of the _Penicillium_. She let them sit in the incubator for a few more days without adding anymore fungi them to see if the material from her grandmother's blood grew back again. It didn't. However, when she compared it to the normal fungi, she realized that they looked different.

She requested that Roy Mustang get her a chemist to help her determine what it was in the _Penicillium_ that made the disease go away. He sent her a man named Alexander Fleming. He was very helpful and between the two of them, it only took another 2 weeks to determine what it was. They separated it and even were about to make it into a liquid. Fleming suggested that they call it "penicillin." And that's what they did.

"Mr. Fleming, I really appreciate everything that you have helped me to do! Now I just need to test it on a real person. I'm just afraid because yes it worked on a plate, but who knows what will happen when try it on a person?" Winry sighed. "It wouldn't be right to ask anyone.."

"Of course Miss Rockbell! Anytime you need a chemist to help you make an amazing discovery, just let me know!" He said with a laugh. Winry laughed along with him. He was a goodhearted person and she had enjoyed working with him.

As Winry packed up her stuff to take it home, she came up with an idea. It wouldn't be right to try this out on anyone because she was afraid of it killing someone.

"Mr. Fleming, can I ask you to do one last thing for me?" Winry asked, looking over at him.

"Sure. Anything!" He said genuinely and smiled at her.

"If.. If something happens to you, I want you to take my notes and continue working with _Penicillium._" He blinked at her and gave her a questioning look. She was completely serious.

"I promise Miss Rockbell. I will not let this finding slip through the cracks." He stuffed his notes into his brief case and began making his way for the door. "Have a good evening."

"Thanks again!" Winry called after him. She knew what she had to do. There was no way that she would risk giving the penicillin to anyone else. If she did that and the person died, she would never forgive herself. She would inject the disease into herself. If she didn't live, then she truly didn't deserve to. If this wasn't a success, then she would leave behind all of her notes for fresh eyes. She was tired of failing the ones she cared about. Lily's smiling face came into her mind. If Lily was going to die of this disease, then so was she.

She took a vial of the disease that Fleming had helped her isolate and stuck a needle into it. Slowly, she pulled the plunger back until the needle was full. She smiled sadly. Granny was probably yelling down at her from the heavens. She felt tears fill her eyes but she shook her head. She _had _to do this. Just as she was about to stick the needle into her arm, Mr. Fleming appeared back in the doorway.

"Uhm, did I leave a-.." His eyes widened when he saw what she was doing. Winry gasped, and quickly ran over to the door, slamming it in his face. After she made sure it was locked, she took a step back.

"M-Miss Rockbell please! There has to be another way! We'll come up with something!" He pounded on the door, pleading with her, "Please open this door! How would your family feel about this?!"

"Mr. Fleming please understand that I am willing to die for this to work. There is a little girl counting on this! I will not risk someone else's life. I'm sorry there's no other way and besides.." She hesitated, her voice getting quiet, just above a whisper, "I have no family left.." She looked back over at the bench where the needle was. She heard Mr. Fleming run away. He was probably going to come back with a key soon, she had to be quick.

Winry walked over to the bench, and picked up the needle in her hand. She hesitated for just a moment before Lily's face came back into her mind again. She also remembered Edward's words. Her hands were meant to give life, not to take it. Pushing on the plunger just a bit to make sure there was no air in the needle before she put it into her arm.

She held her breath, and pushed the plunger slowly.

_Present day Germany_

Thunder boomed loudly outside.

Edward froze, his coffee cup slipping from his hand. He heard the shatter, but he didn't care. He looked over his shoulder slowly, as if in slow motion and looked at his brother who was sitting at the table. Alphonse blinked and started to stand up. Noah came running down the stairs, the vial of Vortimo Pi in her hand.

"I-It's time! I-I just had a vision." She seemed like she was nearly out of breath. "Get the shot glasses Edward, we all need to drink this at the same time!" Edward moved quickly, grabbing three classes and running over to Noah. Alphonse ran over to the two of them. Noah opened the vial and pouring it into the three glasses.

"L-Listen I don't know what will happen to you guys.. normally only gypsies use gypsy potions. B-But when I count to 3, we will all take a drink okay?" The three of them stood in a circle. Ed and Al glanced at each other before nodding. Noah looked down at her glass and began counting, "1" She looked up at Ed he stared back at her, "2" She looked over at Al who was smiling slightly, "3!" They all drank.

For a moment nothing happening.

"What the hell, nothing ha-" Edward started to say before he started screaming in pain.

"E-Ed-" Alphonse started to say before he started to scream in agony as well. Noah looked back and forth between the two of them. She didn't feel any pain. Just then, there was a bright, blinding light.

* * *

A/N: WOOT! Chapter 3 is done! It was a long one :O! It just didn't feel right to stop while I was writing so I kept going. I just want to say that Alexander Fleming was the person that actually discovered penicillin. He wasn't a chemist actually, that was just for the convenience of the story. It was actually Alexander Fleming that requested a chemist to help him isolate the penicillin. This was also roughly the way that penicillin was actually discovered! Like I said I'm a science nerd so writing this was a lot of fun for me! :D

I really hoped that you guys liked it! Personally, the gypsy thing seemed a bit cheesy for me.. But, I couldn't think of anything else honestly.

Let me know what you think!

~Harpstar~ :3


End file.
